It's been a while since we've updated this blog, but not for lack of interesting news! The tech industry has been buzzing like crazy about the future of 4G, particularly the war between WiMAX and LTE. WiMAX had the early lead, but Verizon has made some bold goals about their LTE plans, promising to debut the service in two markets by the end of the year, and WiMAX is still only (officially) available in Portland and Baltimore.

With Verizon's LTE plans in place, it is imperative that Clearwire and Sprint expand their coverage in order to stay competitive. Before Clearwire can even think about expanding, though, they still need to take care of the issue of integrating XOHM and Clear! Right now, even though Clearwire has taken over, XOHM is still operating as a separate entity and there is no way to "roam" between the two networks - if you're a XOHM customer and travel to Portland, your modems won't work on the Clear network, and vice versa.

According to XOHM employees, they have not even been told whether Clearwire will be closing down the XOHM offices in Arizona or if they will simply become Clearwire employees. Clearwire's offices are in Oregon, so unfortunately it seems likely that they may decide to close that office altogether.

We have been repeatedly assured that XOHM customers will be taken care of and will have no problems continuing to use their service and continuing their existing plans. However, there is no word on how Clear plans to make XOHM user's modems compatible with the network. It could be a firmware upgrade or possibly a swap (XOHM customers would have to return their modems in exchange for a Clear model), but no announcement has been made.

We are standing by like the rest of you, wondering not just how long it will take Clearwire to get service to more cities, but how they will take care of us XOHM-ers!

We all know that Clear will be taking over XOHM in Baltimore at some point, but neither Clearwire nor XOHM has fully explained how that will effect XOHM users. XOHM's website has some FAQ's on the issue and indicates a couple of interesting points - your XOHM modem won't work in Portland, for instance - but there aren't any "clear" (hardy har har) answers about what will really happen when Clear takes over.

After several chats with XOHM and Clear, I was able to find out the following:

• Right now, XOHM modems will NOT work on the Clear network, and vice versa. If you take your ZTE tu25 USB Modem to Portland, you will NOT be able to get Clear.
• When Clear takes over in Baltimore, XOHM modems will NOT automatically work! According to a Clear rep, they are hoping to provide firmware updates for the available XOHM modems at that time - you would have to install a new firmware version before being able to access Clear.
• If they are UNABLE to create new firmware that would allow XOHM users to use their existing modems when Clear takes over, they will provide an upgrade to a Clear modem free of charge.
• XOHM users who have signed up for the "$50/month for Life" plan will be allowed to keep that plan when Clear takes over, even though Clear does not offer that same plan.
• NO ONE seems to know just when this takeover will occur. One estimate placed it at about four months, but there is NO indication that that is an accurate guess.

By all accounts, Clearwire is doing their best to keep things simple for XOHM users and the CEO has repeatedly stated that in the future XOHM and Clear users will be able to roam on each other's networks without a problem. However, it doesn't sound like this can be accomplished without - at the minimum - a firmware upgrade. And just WHEN this will start to effect Baltimore XOHM-er's is still the BIG question.

Discuss the future of XOHM - and its relationship with Clear! - on the 4G Forums

The newly formed Clearwire is only a week old, but they are wasting no time picking up where Sprint left off and moving forward with their new brand. As you probably know by now, the closure of the merger between Clearwire and Sprint's WiMAX division gives Clearwire all of Sprint's WiMAX assets as well as access to several billion dollars of investment money from the likes of Google, Intel, and of course Sprint.

Clearwire's WiMAX service is called "Clear", and XOHM is being re-branded to match. As far as we can tell, there won't be any interruption in service for users already signed up with XOHM - it's simply a matter of re-branding. The new Clear WiMAX network debuted in Portland last week, and while the new clear.com website does NOT bother giving us any sort of coverage map to look at, you can type in an address and see if service is available. You can't take a look at the plans or see how much the modems cost unless you confirm your coverage first, so I used the Portland Fire Department's address and was able to peruse their offerings. Here's what I found:

Essentially, Clear's service structure is set up very similarly to XOHM's. You have the option of "home" service with a Motorola home modem - it plugs into the wall and then you can connect either via ethernet or hook it up to a regular WiFi router - or "mobile" service with a Motorola w100 USB dongle. Like XOHM, Clear has no-contract options, but you also have the option of signing a 2-year Clear contract and getting some discounts, including waivers of the $35 activation fee. The cost of the devices themselves is the same whether you sign the contract or not, though - $49.99 for the USB dongle and $175 for the home modem - so I would imagine that most people will opt to steer clear of contracts (pun 100% intended).

The other interesting thing that Clear has done with their plans is give you options for speed with the home modem and usage with the USB device. With the home modem, you are guaranteed unlimited bandwidth (let's see how long that lasts), but you can choose the speed you pay for: $20/month for 768 Kbps/128 Kbps, $30 for 3.0 Mbps/384 Kbps, or $40 for 6.0 Mbps/512 Kbps. With the USB modem, you are limited to 4.0 Mbps/384 Kbps, but you can choose from three bandwidth plans: 200mb for $30, 2GB for $40, or unlimited (again - enjoy it while it lasts!) for just $50/month.

While these new plans offer a lot of flexibility and can help occasional users save money by giving them a cheap, low-usage option, it all seems a bit much. Even the most expensive plans offered by Clear are still very competitive - and cheaper than EVDO - so I doubt many customers will choose to forgo the potentially awesome speeds Clear can offer in favor of saving $10 a month.

Discuss the CLEAR plans and products on the 4G Forums

Now that the formation of the new Clearwire company has been approved by the Feds as well as their shareholders, it is expected that the deal will be closing on December 1st. What does that mean for us WiMAX-hungry consumers, though?

The closure of the deal will give Clearwire access to a huge chunk of change (several billions of dollars courtesy of Intel and more) and they are going to put it right to use. Portland, Oregon is reported to be the first market deployed, and that will be happening soon - first quarter 2009 - followed by Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Grand Rapids. The lack of big city names like LA and New York is a bit disappointing, but they are hiring for many positions around the country, including Los Angeles and Texas, indicating that those areas will likely be Clearwire markets at some point.

For now, it's back to waiting for XOHM to switch their test markets (Chicago, Philly, et al) to official XOHM networks!

DC residents have had unofficial access to the XOHM network for a while now, like folks in Chicago and Dallas, but as of this week they are now a "real" XOHM city! XOHM.com is now including DC in their coverage maps:


Sprint must not be anticipating the Obamas needing WiMAX - the area surrounding the White House is wholly uncovered.

Switching from a test market to an official XOHM area should make a significant difference in the experience for the DC users. No more secret activations!

Are you in DC? Used XOHM yet? Share with us at 4G Forums!

The Clearwire/Sprint merger may have been approved by the FCC earlier this month, but that doesn't mean the new WiMAX company is now 100% free to forge ahead with all of their plans. At least two companies have expressed a distaste for the merger - first AT&T, who tried to block the merger earlier this year, and also Illinois-based Sprint partner iPCS, who has a history of blocking Sprint from providing service from merged companies in their territories. Citing exclusivity clauses in their contract with Sprint, iPCS has gone to the courts in hopes of barring Sprint from offering any service from the new Clearwire network in their territories, which include areas of Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Tennessee (check out the map above for more detail on where iPCS reigns).

Fortunately for Sprint/Clearwire, on Monday an Illinois circuit court told iPCS that they must immediately withdraw their request for a restraining order, meaning Sprint/Clearwire can move forward with their WiMAX development plans. This is great news for the new company, especially considering the precedent that was set when the Illinois court sided with iPCS when they complained about the Nextel merger. The court did provide an allowance for iPCS to re-file in the future, but for the time being Clearwire will be allowed to continue their development unfettered.

It has been reported that Clearwire plans on rolling out services in iPCS territories in July of 2009, and they have agreed to notify iPCS of their plans 60 days before launch. While it was reported that July 2009 would be the soonest WiMAX would be deployed in those regions, it was not made clear where exactly the service will become available first or which parts of the region will be covered.

Discuss iPCS vs Clearwire on the 4G Forums

XOHM currently offers three modems for use on their WiMAX network, and they're all different formats: there's the Zyxel Home Modem, SWC-e100 ExpressCard, and their latest offering, the ZTE Tu25 USB dongle. So which one are you supposed to choose? Which one is the "best"? Do they all work the same?

We at 4Ginfo.com have tested all three available XOHM modems, and after comparing the performance and benefits of them we've put together some information that should help you make your choice!

Our Favorite: Zyxel Home Modem: If you're going to use XOHM primarily at home, the Zyxel is far and away the best choice. It's incredibly easy to set up and is compatible with any computer (it is the ONLY one that works with Macs right now) AND can be used with any standard router! It works just like a regular cable or DSL modem: just plug it into the wall and then either connect it directly to your computer via an ethernet cable or use it with a router. Its built-in antennas are powerful, and it is the only modem with antenna ports that can be used with future antennas, like EVDO aircards (there aren't any available yet, but stay tuned).

It also out-performed the other two options. We saw consistent download speeds of 4-5Mbps (even higher than XOHM promises on their site) and we were seeing consistent uploads of well over 1Mbps. Unless you're going to be traveling a lot and don't want to worry about having to find an outlet everywhere you go, this is definitely the best modem to go for.

First Runner Up: ZTE Tu25 USB Modem: If you want to go truly mobile, we suggest the USB option. It worked well for us, and obviously works with any PC that has an USB port (not on Macs, though!). As for speeds, we were able to occasionally hit download speeds of nearly 10Mbs, but the average speeds were much lower than that. The upload speeds, on the other hand, were significantly less than what we saw with the Home Modem, in the range of about 800Kbps as opposed to 1.2+Mbps.

Unlike the Home Modem, there probably won't be an option to hook up an external antenna to this modem. It does have two connectors on the bottom of the modem beneath the label, but they are u.fl connectors and not designed for repeated connecting and disconnecting of an antenna like we do for EVDO aircards.

And in a Distant Third Place: The Samsung ExpressCard: Unless you have too many peripheral devices taking up your USB ports or you just love ExpressCards, we do NOT recommend the SWC-e100 ExpressCard. There have been activation problems, and those that have been able to activate it have experienced slow speeds and difficultly staying connected to the network. In our tests, we maxed out at 1.5Mbps or so down and our fastest upload speed was 791 - the average upload speed was more like 500. Better than dial-up, but those are speeds we expect from EVDO Rev-A, not WiMAX. With the USB modem also available for "on-the-go" users, there is no reason to opt for the ExpressCard.

If you've used a XOHM modem, let us know if you agree with our opinions! Share your experience with the 4G community at the 4G Forums

Earlier this month, we at 4Ginfo.com posted an article on how to get your Sprint XOHM device up and running in areas with XOHM outside Baltimore. It has worked successfully for MANY people, allowing people in Dallas, Chicago, etc to sign up for service and access the SUPER fast network. We've heard a lot of success stories and had success ourselves!

Some people have had trouble, though. I mentioned the accounts of a few of them the other day, but over the weekend one of our own employees experienced a bump in the road in Chicago. After being able to access the network without any problems for a while, he began having a problem when using his ExpressCard. Each time he popped it in his computer, he was asked to re-register. Coincidentally, our employee received a phone call from XOHM, welcoming him to the network (has anyone else received such a call? While it's a nice gesture, it seems a little over the top for Sprint to expend such manpower on welcome calls...), and he decided to take the opportunity to try to find out why he was experiencing this problem.

Upon seeing that he was actually outside the Baltimore region, she informed him that the "workaround" is no longer valid - the Network Operations division had halted activations outside Baltimore. She went on to explain that people in Chicago and Dallas will just have to "be patient" until the network is launched in their areas. However, since he has had his device activated for weeks now, she told him that she wouldn't be canceling his service.

Interestingly, another one of our employees has had NO such problems. He is in Dallas and has been able to connect to the network consistently since signing up a couple weeks ago.

If you've had similar problems, or, better yet, a success story, make sure you join in the discussion at 4G Forums!

An interesting topic has come up at the 4G Forums, regarding some problems that users have encountered trying to use their activated modems in covered areas outside of Baltimore (Chicago, Dallas, etc). The problems range from not being able to connect to XOHM - despite their successful activation via 4Ginfo's workaround - and XOHM double-charging on a Pick Two plan.

Here are some complaints straight from the mouths (keyboards) of XOHM users:

Not working here in Chicago. I did everything correctly and connected once to Xohm service but now it doesnt even give me the option to connect to wimax. I used a few different Baltimore address but still gettting nothing.

I have to start up the connection manager than re insert the data card for it to work. Now on the home page for xohm it says that its an unknown wimax device. Do i need to activate it again on xohm home page? I am getting frustrated.

You may need to call in to XOHM Support. They fouled up my pick 2 plan and charged me twice and still ONLY had my Xyzel Home modem activated on my plan. I have noticed I have had more issues with the express card itself. May take a little patience for that card has to remain connected to the XOHM network in order to pull down some activation updates. Seeing that signal is spotty at current, it may just not be receiving that neccessary update to remain active.

Its hit or miss with the express card. The connection manager will find Xohm service but everytime it tells me to activate service. I have a receipt that shows what I ordered but it always brings me to xohm home page to activate my card, than I put in the mac address. It does this over and over. Very frustrating but I do realize that the service isnt active yet here in Chicago just using the work around. I might give it 30 days than Im going to send back the card and cancel the service.

To be fair, these problems seem to be occurring mainly when people are attempting to use the service OUTSIDE of the official Baltimore area, so things may clear up when those places are officially launched/supported by Sprint/XOHM. The most troubling complaint is the one regarding double-charges and their failure to activate one of the devices on the Pick Two plan. It's true that their system is brand new and a few hiccups are to be expected along the way, but those are pretty fundamental issues that should not be occurring.

Have you had any problems with your service? Or do you have a success story? Share your info on the 4G Forum.

Sprint XOHM coverage has been confirmed in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but how does it measure up to the great results we got from our Chicago XOHM tests last week?

The results, while not horrible, were not nearly as impressive as what we found in Chicago:

The good: The network is definitely there, and the range was wider than expected - for those familiar with the area, it extended far north of the downtown area, north of LBJ/635

The bad: The network is NOT currently stable. We were not able to stay connected for more than 10 minutes at a time.

We used the SWC-e100 ExpressCard to test the area.

Here is the initial speed test:

When we moved closer to downtown, things looked a little better (click to view full size):

Here is a ping test to Google (click to view full size):

And finally, a traceroute, also to Google (click to view full size):

Just to contrast, here is a traceroute from the same location using EVDO Rev A (click to view full size):

We were only able to test with the SWC-e100 ExpressCard - perhaps the Home Modem, with its powerful antennas and ability to connect to towers that are further away, will fare better.

Don't get us wrong - we were happy just to see WiMAX! Once it officially launches in early 2009, the network is bound to be much more reliable.

Discuss coverage throughout the country on 4G Forums

Last week, a couple websites falsely reported that the two WiMAX devices available from XOHM did NOT have antenna connectors. We are happy to report that that is NOT true! Both the Zyxel Home Modem and the Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard have not one but two ports:

Home Modem:

ExpressCard:
At this point, there aren't any antennas you can use with your WiMAX device, but the good folks at Wilson - who make many of the antennas and all of the amps we sell at 3Gstore.com - are currently testing various indoor- and outdoor-use antennas. Stay tuned for more info as we get it!

WiMAX World was chock full of prototypes and interesting gadgets. Unfortunately... the companies tend to neglect to offer things like tech specs or other such details, so all we can do is lust over them and imagine what cool things they'll offer!

Here's one such device from C-motech, the CMR-300 WiMAX router. It looks pretty much like any standard WiFi router, complete with a built-in antenna to presumably provide greater WiFi range. It appears to have a USB port to pop in your USB WiMAX modem (which.... currently aren't available) and share your signal with the whole household or office. Stay tuned for more details - we'll report them as soon as we can get our hands on them!

On a related note, our good friends at Cradlepoint will be working to make their product line compatible with XOHM/WiMAX devices in the future!

Now that we've confirmed that there is indeed XOHM available in Chicago (albeit unannounced), it's time to put it to the test!

On the official XOHM site, potential speeds are quoted at 2 - 4 Mbps download and 0.5 - 1.5 Mbps up. There have been rumblings that the actual speeds don't live up the hype, but here's what we found:

Zyxel Mac206M2 Home Modem: We tested the Zyxel directly connected via ethernet to a Mac Powerbook running Leopard. We performed three tests, about 3 hours apart, to account for fluctuations. Those internal antennas built into the modem must really do their job - the average download speed was about 4.5Mbps, faster than XOHM's promises. The upload speed averaged at about 1.2, which, while not as impressive when compared to the download, is still well within the range quoted by XOHM. So far, so good!

For the Samsung SWC-E100 ExpressCard, we switched to a Toshiba laptop running Windows Vista Home (remember: the ExpressCard does NOT work with Macs). Despite the fact that we were in the same location, the results were markedly different. Download came in at 3.1Mbps and upload at just 0.8, right in the middle of XOHM's promise but disappointing after seeing how the Home Modem did.

It is definitely very exciting to see these types of speeds. The true test, though, will be how it holds up as the service becomes more popular and the network traffic increases.

For screenshots and more, check out 4Ginfo.com

As you may have noticed - or read on the 4G Forums! - there have been XOHM sightings in areas besides the officially announced Baltimore region.

So how can you access the network? You need to register your modem and service, but you need to use an address that IS covered in Sprint's official Baltimore network.

No problem! We have created a super-simple step-by-step set of instructions so that you can get your modem up and running in places like Dallas, Chicago, or Philadelphia. Check it out on 4Ginfo.com and start XOHM-ing!

The official launch is still two weeks off, but Sprint's XOHM network is already up and running in Baltimore and some of the surrounding suburbs. They've also released pricing information - and it's good news! You DON'T need a contract, and the prices are very reasonable: plans include a $10 Day pass, $25 monthly Home Internet service and $30 monthly On-the-go service. Special launch pricing also includes a $50 "Pick 2 for Life" monthly service option that covers 2 WiMAX devices!

Some pertinent details from the release:

• No long-term commitments or contracts are required, freeing customers from restrictive long-term subsidized plans
• Monthly home, on-the-go and day-pass Internet plans provide service choices
• A single monthly charge covers service for multiple WiMAX access devices
• WiMAX devices are purchased like other computing/consumer electronic devices
• XOHM broadband service is self-activated and includes future updates capability

If you live in the Baltimore area, check out the coverage map to see if you are lucky enough to be in the service area:


It's not incredibly wide spread yet, but there's enough coverage to give it a try.

Obviously, you will need a modem. It looks like they are launching with a $79.99 home modem, a $59.99 ExpressCard, and a USB modem. Here's a look at the MAX-206M2 by ZyXEL modem:

The ExpressCard:
And the USB modem:
Now for the bad news on these devices: neither the ExpressCard NOR the USB modem are compatible with Mac!! We hope that sometime in the near future when the network is a bit more widespread we will be able work on some sort of work-around like we did back before EVDO devices offered official Mac support, so stay tuned.

Read the full press release on 4Ginfo.com
Discuss the launch/pricing on 4G Forums

We mentioned earlier in the month that Illinois service provider iPCS was going to court to attempt to prevent Sprint from offering their XOHM service in their market since Clearwire is involved in the new network. iPCS has exclusive rights to provide Sprint service in the 81 markets in which they operate, and contend that Sprint providing service on other networks or in conjunction with other providers goes against their contract.

Back when Sprint acquired Nextel, iPCS was successful in keeping them from operating the Nextel network in their markets. Sprint has been fighting like crazy ever since to get that overturned, but the Illinois state Supreme Court has upheld the ruling - Sprint still can't operate Nextel in that area.

This latest court ruling (and by the way, they've announced that they are STILL going to continue the appeals... good luck with that) indicates - to me - that the odds of iPCS being able to block Sprint from using Clearwire in their markets is VERY strong. This, of course, means that customers in that area would NOT be able to subscribe to WiMAX, unless iPCS was able to offer the service themselves.


Sprint will absolutely continue to fight this in every court they can get to accept their case, but a contract is a contract. It's unfortunate that they included an airtight exclusivity section in the contract, but now they must honor it. They COULD buy themselves out of the contract - but it would cost them an estimated $1 billion.

If you're an iPCS subscriber with thoughts on this, please share with us at the 4G Forums!

Are you ready, Baltimore??

Sprint announced today that the WiMAX XOHM network will debut in Baltimore on October 8th - just a little over 2 weeks away.

Sprint has assured the world that the network has been thoroughly tested and is definitely ready for deployment. They didn't release any marketing/sales info yet, though - a "source" says that will probably happen sometime next week. Thus there's no news just yet on how much it will cost per month, whether a contract is needed, what kind of devices will be available and how much those will cost. I would love to speculate on that stuff, but we really just don't know yet! My guess would be that it will cost MORE than EVDO per month, but then again, maybe they'll want to lure early adopters in with good deals. As for devices, I think we can expect a variety of USB and ExpressCard modems, just like they offer for EVDO.

Next step: accessories! Antennas, routers... how long will it take for those to become available?

If you're a Baltimore-ite and become a WiMAX user, please share your thoughts on 4G Forums!

Discuss the Baltimore release on 4G Forums

Verizon may have a history of rebuffing Google, particularly its Android platform, but such is not the case for Clearwire. In a chat with Unstrung.com, CEO Ben Wolf confirmed that their WiMAX XOHM devices will indeed make use of Android.

Between their earlier timeline and now the confirmation that Sprint/Clearwire XOHM users will get to use Android devices, Verizon is looking further and further behind in the 4G market. They did show some interesting progress this week with talk of their new "open development" policy, but how far will that carry them?

Discuss Clearwire and Android on 4G Forums

Clearwire's "WiMAX van," complete with computers and WiMAX devices inside for testing (photo courtesy of www.unstrung.com)

The CTIA conference continues to be the amazing wireless event we were all hoping for, showcasing all the latest technology and products. Today's cool news comes courtesy of Clearwire, who demonstrated their WiMAX (XOHM) technology by setting up a few WiMAX towers in the San Francisco area and driving around in their "WiMAX van" to show their broadband service to conference attendees. They're taking folks on tours around the city and letting them see firsthand the speediness and uninterrupted connectivity of the service. They are reporting average speeds between 2-4Mbps, topping out at 10 megs (!). Of course, it's unlikely that WE would see such speeds when we finally get access to WiMAX, because we'll be sharing the bandwidth with our neighbors and whatnot, but it's still exciting to see a new technology actually work in the "real world" (well, a controlled real world environment, to be fair)!

There are a lot of benefits to the big Sprint/Clearwire merger, which is getting very close to being finalized, but like most everything in this complicated world, there is at least one downside to the partnership. Unlike LTE, Sprint has been promoting WiMAX products as being "dual-mode," meaning they operate on both CDMA and WiMAX systems. With a CDMA option, users can roam the world and activate service in areas that operate on non-SIM networks, a huge plus for consumers that travel globally and need internet access wherever they go.

Really, though?

Not for XOHM users!

Here's the deal: Clearwire/Sprint's WiMAX products will be marketed under the XOHM name, and those products and service are on the way beginning this year. For some reason, Sprint wants to keep XOHM products WiMAX only - no CDMA. They WILL be offering dual-mode products (including a laptop card that will debut sometime next year, most likely), but only on the Sprint-branded not network.

Confusing enough for you? Frustrating?

For many early adopters, it won't make much of a difference. Not everyone travels around the world, and for them CDMA is really a non-issue. But what about business travelers and the like? They will be forced to either wait until they can get a Sprint-only device or go through the pain of switching after some time of using XOHM stuff.

Only time will tell whether this confusing split between dual- and single-mode devices will make a big impact on consumers. We do know that there is a percentage of 3G users that are disappointed by the lack of CDMA support for EVDO from Verizon and Sprint, and I'm sure that will transfer to 4G.

Discuss this news on 4G Forums